Looking for a good thriller to keep winter boredom at bay? Try this! Creative, nuanced, and an interesting meditation on familial obligation.
Stacey
The dreadful game of Yates' Black Chalk is fairly straightforward - a series of escalating dares with escalating consequences - but the narrative is not. Constantly flitting between past and present, this story kept me perpetually off balance, and I couldn't put it down. I dare you not to get caught up in this twisting tale.
Caleb
This is a "thriller" in that it begins with a death that takes the entire book to unravel, but it is much more literary, philosophical & poetic than I think of a typical thriller to be. It is introspective & thoughtful, told largely through letters, & Harrison's prose is as much a driver of the book's appeal as the plot itself. I found myself getting lost in the language and his philosophical digressions, only to be drawn back to the central mystery and its surprising resolution.
David
This unconventionally structured and intense YA thriller will appeal to fans of Gone Girl and other dark, female- centric mysteries. The story centers on queer romance, jealousy tangled up in friendship and class and race differences between teen girls at two different high schools in a small Massachusetts town. The unconventional shift in narration halfway through both allows for a more factual and removed look at the mystery and signals to the audience that Jess has lost control of her own story. One of the most artfully written YA books of the year, and a mystery sure to suck in both older teen and adult readers, this is one not to be missed.
April
For fans of I Am Pilgrim, The Travelers, or really any literary thriller. It's also a great escape from the upcoming cold weather.
Emily
Genuine Fraud is the YA psychological thriller we've all been waiting for. It is dark, twisty and impossible to predict and you'll want to pick it back up again as soon as you finish. Jule West-William is a chameleon, a fighter and a fraud- or is she? You be the judge. This book is a rich and compelling character study of a morally ambiguous anti-heroine combined with a taut thriller.
April
Written by a screenwriter, this book is the best (not) movie you've ever read. A mysterious and thrilling (and I mean THRILLING) ride, Pilgrim will keep you guessing, re-reading, and gasping in shock. This book will keep your heart rate up enough to warm away November.
Emily
1955: From the rundown Tower Motel, Sylvie Slater writes letters to Alfred Hitchcock and dreams of being an actress. 1989: Best friends Piper, Amy, and Margot discover a packed suitcase belonging to Sylvie, who supposedly ran away to Hollywood decades earlier. 2013: Amy and her family are violently murdered, and no one has solved the case. This deliciously chilling tale spans decades and generations, and is perfect for shivery October nights.
REBECCA
This is a skillfully unfurled story; a taut psychological thriller with an increasing sense of menace featuring a noseyparker, a spy, a “connoisseur” of people’s private lives who is possibly the creepiest character you’ve ever met. Don’t just lock your doors, change the locks too!
Susannah
